Bust a Plateau
davepete57
Posts: 33 Member
I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
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Replies
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davepete57 wrote: »I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
which would be just the same as just eating 500 cals per day... does that sound like a good idea to you?4 -
Weight not going down is not really a plateau and not really something to bust. Assuming you are still overweight, you have to continue to eat less than you burn. At a lower weight, you burn less. But that doesn't mean you can eat at or below the recommended minumum and overexercise and lose at the same pace as before. It means that you will lose more slowly, even at a lower calorie intake (it's highly recommended to run setup again with your new stats), and that you have to be more accurate in your logging, and generally more patient.2
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A few months at the same weight sounds like you have reached a maintain point which several things you need to look at..
If you are in a calorie deficit at the end of the week, you are not plateaued, the weight loss has slowed. With that said it not healthy to net 500 calories a day.
Have you looked to make sure you logging efforts are on point and updated your calorie goals in MFP to assure that 1500 meets the rate of loss you intend to lose the last 25?
How long have you been in a calorie deficit consistently to lose this 60 pounds you lost? Have you taken a diet break along the way in other words?2 -
davepete57 wrote: »I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
Hi there,
This works for me, it might work for you.
When I get to a stage where I don't lose weight for a few weeks I rotate my carbs over a 2 week period.
Week 1 I only eat carbs at lunch then week 2 I only eat carbs at dinner...it kick starts the weight loss for me.
Good luck
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davepete57 wrote: »I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
Hi there,
This works for me, it might work for you.
When I get to a stage where I don't lose weight for a few weeks I rotate my carbs over a 2 week period.
Week 1 I only eat carbs at lunch then week 2 I only eat carbs at dinner...it kick starts the weight loss for me.
Good luck
and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???
OP no you shouldn't shoot for 1k in exercise and 1500 in food...
1. You are male you need to net at least 1500...not 500
2. have you adjusted your intake since you lost weight?
3. how are you logging? by weight or cups or guesstimates?
4. and by same weight do you mean you haven't lost anything at all or are you going up and down?1 -
davepete57 wrote: »I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
That sounds super frustrating! We don't have a lot of details here to work with. Opening your diary so we can take a peek might help you get more specific answers, but otherwise:
1. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
2. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
3. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
4. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
5. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
6. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
7. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs. You might also be sure your scale is working and doesn't need new batteries or anything.
8. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.5 -
@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
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@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
right so a weight loss plateau means not losing weight and not losing weight means your CI = CO and cycling carbs does not change that equation.
it can change up the glycogen and/or water stores and you may lose scale weight but not fat and chances are you will gain that scale weight back once the stores are replenished.
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@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
right so a weight loss plateau means not losing weight and not losing weight means your CI = CO and cycling carbs does not change that equation.
it can change up the glycogen and/or water stores and you may lose scale weight but not fat and chances are you will gain that scale weight back once the stores are replenished.
Okay...so the OP asked if anyone had any suggestions on busting a weight loss plateau.
I answered with something that works for me. And it does, every single time. I don't adjust my calorie intake or output, I simply do something that kick starts my weight loss again. And no, I don't gain it back.
I don't know why it works, but it was recommended to me by my PT...who also said "it might / might not work for you". But hey, it does.
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@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
right so a weight loss plateau means not losing weight and not losing weight means your CI = CO and cycling carbs does not change that equation.
it can change up the glycogen and/or water stores and you may lose scale weight but not fat and chances are you will gain that scale weight back once the stores are replenished.
Okay...so the OP asked if anyone had any suggestions on busting a weight loss plateau.
I answered with something that works for me. And it does, every single time. I don't adjust my calorie intake or output, I simply do something that kick starts my weight loss again. And no, I don't gain it back.
I don't know why it works, but it was recommended to me by my PT...who also said "it might / might not work for you". But hey, it does.
a true weight loss plateau is due to eating at maintenance...not eating carbs at a certain time of day aka carb cycling.
As well if you didn't carb cycle and continued on the path of eating less than you burned you would lose the weight too without doing the carb thing.
and PT's shouldn't be giving nutritional advice imo as they are not qualified RD's. esp the one who told you carb cycling helps weight loss plateaus...0 -
@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
right so a weight loss plateau means not losing weight and not losing weight means your CI = CO and cycling carbs does not change that equation.
it can change up the glycogen and/or water stores and you may lose scale weight but not fat and chances are you will gain that scale weight back once the stores are replenished.
Okay...so the OP asked if anyone had any suggestions on busting a weight loss plateau.
I answered with something that works for me. And it does, every single time. I don't adjust my calorie intake or output, I simply do something that kick starts my weight loss again. And no, I don't gain it back.
I don't know why it works, but it was recommended to me by my PT...who also said "it might / might not work for you". But hey, it does.
a true weight loss plateau is due to eating at maintenance...not eating carbs at a certain time of day aka carb cycling.
As well if you didn't carb cycle and continued on the path of eating less than you burned you would lose the weight too without doing the carb thing.
and PT's shouldn't be giving nutritional advice imo as they are not qualified RD's. esp the one who told you carb cycling helps weight loss plateaus...
My mistake, I didn't list his credentials. He's a PT, Lifestyle Coach, teaches Yoga on a Tuesday & Saturday and is also a registered dietician 4 -
@SezxyStef
"and how does that impact your calories in? making them less than your calories out???"
I don't adjust my calorie intake, I just cycle my carbs, like I said.
right so a weight loss plateau means not losing weight and not losing weight means your CI = CO and cycling carbs does not change that equation.
it can change up the glycogen and/or water stores and you may lose scale weight but not fat and chances are you will gain that scale weight back once the stores are replenished.
Okay...so the OP asked if anyone had any suggestions on busting a weight loss plateau.
I answered with something that works for me. And it does, every single time. I don't adjust my calorie intake or output, I simply do something that kick starts my weight loss again. And no, I don't gain it back.
I don't know why it works, but it was recommended to me by my PT...who also said "it might / might not work for you". But hey, it does.
a true weight loss plateau is due to eating at maintenance...not eating carbs at a certain time of day aka carb cycling.
As well if you didn't carb cycle and continued on the path of eating less than you burned you would lose the weight too without doing the carb thing.
and PT's shouldn't be giving nutritional advice imo as they are not qualified RD's. esp the one who told you carb cycling helps weight loss plateaus...
My mistake, I didn't list his credentials. He's a PT, Lifestyle Coach, teaches Yoga on a Tuesday & Saturday and is also a registered dietician
Wow what university did he go to for his nutrition degree? Never heard a RD say such s thing (but have heard many nutritionists say thst)1 -
Sigh, you just try and help someone...
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There's quite a bit of information available with regards to carb cycling helping overcome a weight loss plateau.
Just because you don't agree with or understand something, doesn't mean it's not correct.6 -
There's quite a bit of information available with regards to carb cycling helping overcome a weight loss plateau.
Just because you don't agree with or understand something, doesn't mean it's not correct.
Can you post credible scientific links which day you can lose fat (not just water) without dropping your calories?0 -
OP I usually find when I'm stuck at maintenance that my weekends are to blame. I do great all week then go over a little on Friday night or Sat. or Sun or all three. It can be enough to wipe out the deficit I created during the week (but as a long term maintenance strategy, isn't bad for me). So, check your weekends and tighten up your logging.davepete57 wrote: »I've lost almost 60# and want to lose 25 more. I have been stuck at he same weight for the last few months. Any ideas how to bust this plateau. I am very active physically but I am wondering if I should shoot for 1000 exercise calories daily with a 1500 intake
2 -
There's quite a bit of information available with regards to carb cycling helping overcome a weight loss plateau.
Just because you don't agree with or understand something, doesn't mean it's not correct.
My guess is that during these carb cycling series', you are being more accurate with your weighing and logging and that is what is getting your weight loss going again.0 -
There's quite a bit of information available with regards to carb cycling helping overcome a weight loss plateau.
Just because you don't agree with or understand something, doesn't mean it's not correct.
YOu are right there is a lot of information out there...blogs, articles etc and I do understand it. I've read up on it as a family member did it...he wasn't that successful at the weight loss...
What means it's not correct is that marcros in any cycle or percentage do not define if you gain or lose weight...that is all about the calories.
Carb cycling does not help overcome a true weight loss plateau as that has to do with calories...and eating at maintenance.
but there are no peer reviewed studies that confirm this...2 -
to those of you who gave advise Thanks. To those of you who are holier than thou & snarky please go away2
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Netting 500 calories a day, especially as a someone who's very active isn't good. Your body will adapt to calories well under what you need to have it perform optimally. And usually that's a slow down in your BMR where MOST stored body fat is burned.
Also this type of deficit can be responsible for utilizing lean mass to help offset calorie usage, meaning you're using is to fuel yourself. Losing lean body mass (or any mass for that matter) also lowers your BMR.
If you've been doing the same exercise routine for awhile, the body adapts, makes adjustments for energy needed to do it and then counters if there's not enough consumed energy to supplant it.
If you're overweight still check what your BMR is. Then from there, I'd add at least another 300 calories to consume. That's the very least.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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